Garbage piles up on Pho Duc Chinh Street, Thuan Hoa Ward. Photo: Dang Trinh

The amount of waste increased more than 2.5 times

On the morning of November 4, Tran Quoc Toan Street was flooded with garbage after the flood. This garbage was gathered by people after the flood receded to wait for collection and transportation. However, before it could be transported, the floodwaters rose again, and the garbage drifted away with the floodwaters. "As soon as the flood receded, we took the opportunity to collect the garbage, clean up in front of our houses, and wait for the environmental truck to come and collect it. But as soon as we collected it, the water rose, and the garbage floated again," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a resident of Tran Quoc Toan Street.

A similar situation occurred in many low-lying areas of Hue City. After the flood receded on the morning of November 4, residents on Ba Trieu, Pho Duc Chinh, Tran Quang Khai streets, etc. had to live with garbage. “People also tried very hard to collect garbage and clean up mud to clean the environment, but when the floodwaters rose, they brought mud and old garbage back. When the water receded, garbage was everywhere,” said Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a resident on Pho Duc Chinh street.

During the recent flood, Hue Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company (HEPCO) recorded that the amount of waste increased by more than 2.5 times compared to normal days. In low-lying areas, waste from people's daily activities, waste from markets, restaurants, etc. was carried away by the water, pushed everywhere, drifting into sewers and canals, causing serious pollution, creating a burden for waste collection and treatment.

HEPCO launched a campaign to collect waste on rivers. Photo: HEPCO

“After temporarily stopping the collection work on the afternoon of November 2 to ensure the safety of workers and vehicles, on the morning of November 4, as soon as the water receded, HEPCO mobilized all forces to deploy collection on all routes in the city, focusing on the central area, schools, markets, agencies, offices and tourist routes to ensure urban hygiene and traffic safety. HEPCO also launched a campaign to collect and scoop up garbage on rivers to prevent garbage from accumulating,” informed Mr. Tran Huu An, Deputy General Director of HEPCO.

HEPCO also called on people to join hands in cleaning the environment in the residential areas where they live, not to throw garbage into the water, to tie it up and gather it neatly for convenient and safe collection.

The forces join forces

On the morning of November 4, police, military, union members and youths also joined the people in cleaning up major roads and public places. Currently, 147/569 schools in Hue City have been cleared of flooding, and the work of restoring and cleaning classrooms and school grounds is being urgently carried out.

Joining forces with the team of teachers, the 6th Infantry Regiment sent nearly 170 officers and soldiers with vehicles, water pumps, and sprayers to support schools and localities in cleaning up mud and sanitizing the environment, ensuring that schools can soon welcome students back to school and people can stabilize their lives again. This force is divided into 4 main directions, focusing on supporting schools that were most severely damaged by floods, contributing to a clean and safe learning environment.

With the motto "Where the water recedes, clean up", in the morning, the armed forces, along with teachers and parents, quickly deployed forces to schools to collect mud and clean the schools. Some schools that received support from the army to clean up in the morning include: Thuy Van Primary School, Vy Da Primary School, Chu Van An Secondary School, Quang Trung Kindergarten, Huong Long, Kim Long, Huong Ho, Thuy Van...

Officers and soldiers of Infantry Regiment 6 clean up flooded schools. Photo: Thai Binh

Lieutenant Colonel Ta Van Tu, Political Commissar of Regiment 6, said: “Today, we have directed units to urgently prioritize officers and soldiers to support schools, markets and public areas. In the coming days, the unit will mobilize more machinery and direct agencies and units to mobilize more forces to overcome the consequences of floods, helping people stabilize their lives and activities.”

Along with the army, the Hue City Police force also mobilized simultaneously with hundreds of officers and soldiers present in each area, participating in cleaning schools, medical stations, public areas and many roads flooded with mud after the flood to soon bring life back to normal.

On central streets such as Le Loi, Dong Da, Nguyen Hue, Le Quy Don..., Hue City Youth Union also mobilized nearly 550 union members and youth from localities and universities in the area to support people after the flood. On November 4, Hue City youth set a goal of cleaning, collecting garbage and clearing sewers to restore the green - clean - bright urban appearance of the city.

Thai Binh - Minh Nguyen - Dang Trinh

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/doc-suc-lam-sach-moi-truong-sau-lu-159589.html